» Training for elected members on project management - Conwy County Borough Council

Training for elected members on project management - Conwy County Borough Council

18 Feb 2015 - 2:43pm

Conwy County Borough Council run practical sessions on project management for elected members. The training ensures that Councillors are better equipped to make decisions on projects. It also gives them insight on the effects that their decisions have on the management process.

The council’s Corporate Improvement and Development department includes the Project Management Office, which offers advice and training, as well as mentoring on specific projects and programmes for a set length of time.

The department has developed training for the Senior Management Team on running programmes and projects, which it runs four times a year. A similar training need was subsequently identified for Councillors, so that they could clearly see the impact that their decisions make on the council’s projects.

The existing training course was adapted and tailored specifically for the needs of elected members. The half day course looks at what it takes to be on a project board, as well as guidance on documents they would come across. Programme and Project Management terminology can be alien to those who are not directly involved in the field. By rolling out the course to Councillors, the council aims to ensure that everyone who is both directly and indirectly involved in the process have the same levels of understanding.

Feedback from Councillors has been positive. The Councillors feel that they are better able to engage with the process as their understanding has improved. They also feel that they can make better quality decisions as their knowledge of project management has grown.